Return
by MeowingWolf
Summary: Amaterasu returns from the Celestial Plains to the far north where new, stronger demons are beginning to take over. OkiXAmmy maybe? .yes bad Summary.
1. Chapter 1

((A/N oh hai ther :D

I deleted my other Ókami fan-fic as I wasn't really... you know, interested in it anymore?

I'll try to be original, but it's going to fail. D:

Anyway, here you go. Chapter No.1...))

3 years after the defeat of Yami, and Amaterasu was so bored.

Lying on the grass of the celestial plains, swishing her tail from side to side, she looked down to the earth below her and felt an awkward feeling in her stomach. It wasn't because of the height- Amaterasu never really got this when she looked out like this. It was just because she felt so damn lonely up here.

Behind her Kabegami the god of walls ran up behind her. Amaterasu looked round to see the cat stop a bit away from her, she was panting furiously and her whiskers drooped.

"Ama- ta-..." The cat paused.

"What's wrong?"

"Just give me a second" Amaterasu stood up. Kabegami recovered herself and took a deep breath

"On earth, the demons have returned! It doesn't make any sense! And worst of all, they are stronger than ever, nobody knows where they came from... not even us gods."

Amaterasu snarled so loudly Kabegami jumped half out of her fur.

"and after I worked so hard to get rid of them! It was meant to be for good!" Amaterasu walked away growling and feeling like she wanted to hit something. Kabegami, with her big frightened cat eyes decided not to bother the sun goddess anymore and turned and ran back to where the other gods waited.

They didn't need to be told about Amaterasu's reaction, Kabegami's eyes told all.

"Guessing she didn't take it well" Tachigami murmured.

"I thought she was going to rip me to bits for a moment!" Kabegami shivered.

Yomigami who was at the back of the group of gods, sighed loudly.

"And after she worked so hard."

"And freed us all" added Gekigami

"And helped all those mortals" Itegami said.

Kazegami looked out across the plains. "The world below us wouldn't be here either, or us."

"The world would be a horrible place" One of the Hanagami who was sitting on a rock spoke up.

"Nothing would be the same, we get it Ok?" Gekigami's bad temper showed in his words.

The gods where silent. "But what can we do?"

"Were gods for earth's sake!" Gekigami leaped out of the group to stand next to Kabegami.

"We can do anything we wish and nobody can stop us!" Kabegami looked up at the bigger of her species and felt envious.

"Well I can" a feminine voice answered Gekigami's growls.

"Oh Amaterasu." The tiger turned round to see her standing with a slight look of amusement on her face.

"That's my name." She trotted next to Kabegami, who squeaked and stepped away.

"As I was saying, I can't let any of you down there... but you can still do things up here."

"so you're going down?" Yumigami said in almost a whisper.

"Of course I am."

"In that case," Gekigami turned to the goddess. "Could I help you?"

Amaterasu held back a laugh, but quickly composed herself. "Oh sure. But you can just tag along with me for some of the way... with all these new demons around I would find it helpful."

Kabegami rolled her eyes and her eyes flamed with jealousy.

"Thank you then." Gekigami flicked his tail across Kabegami's nose, who pawed it away with a slight hiss.

"But Amaterasu..." Bakugami spoke up.

"Oh I'm fine now, I know you can't live without me hm?" Amaterasu joked, but it was true.

"In that case, when will we be departing?" Gekigami asked Amaterasu.

"Now"

"What?" Most of the gods cried out at once.

"You snooze you lose." Amaterasu said in a matter-of-fact way. The gods murmured among themselves before quieting down.

"In that case we will be departing." Amaterasu turned to leave.

"Oh and Kabegami" The cat looked across at Amaterasu, her ears flat on her head. "Be proud of who your descended from, not jealous"

The two gods started walking away, when Yumigami cried out to them.

"If you were wondering, as before they came from the north!"

Amaterasu looked at Gekigami, who looked back at her.

"Well, no time to lose!"

((I didn't want to end the chapter here, so how about some more: P))

In the frozen north of Nippon, the snow falls from the sky as fast as heavy rain; the wind whips it from left to right, and whistles loudly in the ears of all who live there.

Through the thick falling snow between the trees though, there is a bright red-orange light, glowing so brightly you could see it from so far away even in the blizzard. The light gets even brighter, then in fades away to nothing.

The snow-coated bush suddenly rustle, and out of it came two strange creatures... wolves, but with ears of a rabbit, hind legs of a hare, the tail of a squirrel, and the claws of a dragon, but they were all black, apart from piercing green eyes and claws.

Making strange grumbling noises, the two raise their heads to the sky that was throwing down snow. They both did a sort of snigger to themselves, but it was more like an animal being strangled. They lowered their heads and moved like lizards with a strange hop to their gait because of their hind legs. On their backs though, where long curved green swords with the same eerie glow as their eyes. They sniffed the air with big black noses, and grunted as if of happiness, before moving on through the thick blizzard that seemed to have no affect on them at all.

Further away from the creatures resting behind a rock from the snowstorm, a more ordinary wolf was shielding himself, but still a bit out of the ordinary.

Oki was hiding away from the blizzard for a while as it had got so bad he couldn't see a paw step in front of him. He kept thinking about how the weather had got worse ever since the demons had returned. He curled up and rested his head on his paws and waited for the blizzard to die down, but after ages nothing really seemed to happen.

Oki sighed and looked over the rock. It had died down enough to see outlines of shapes ahead a good distance away, so he set of again back to his house.

A lot had changed since Amaterasu had left. One- Samickle had rescued some people just like the Oinas, who had joined their tribe, so now the tribe was much bigger. Two- Ever since the demons had started coming again, the Oina had 'lost their human form' no matter how hard they tried they were stuck as wolves. Oki didn't mind it much, but lots of others did. Just as the Oinas had got rid of their problems they had come back again.

Oki thought the demons could have something to do with the new members, but nobody listened to him. That was another thing, one of the new Oinas, named Kurai, hated Oki for no reason at all. He and his brother would always pick on him, but Oki knew they would never fight him- they were too scared. Maybe that was why they did it.

Oki stopped suddenly as a strange sound came to him on the wind. It was like a screeching, wailing, screaming animal on its last legs, but much, much louder. Oki then saw something in the blizzard behind him, some creature or the other. It looked like a rabbit, but Oki saw its eyes and claws, and then the sword on its back.

Oki turned round to face them, but suddenly it seemed that time jumped and they were already in front of him. Before Oki could wonder what had happened, one knocked him with its sword and the other leaped on him. Oki snarled and pushed it off, his side hurt badly and he could feel his own blood dripping from it onto the snow but he ignored it and leaped onto the one that had slashed him. Oki pinned him easily and stabbed his sword right into its stomach. It gave out a last cry of pain and went limp, its green tongue hanging out onto the snow.

Oki turned round just as the other one had recovered and was running towards him and once again, time seemed to jump and the creature was already on him, dragging its huge claws down his sides. Oki shook him of easily and jumped on him again, but he moved out the way within seconds, and was on him again. _What the hell is going on? _He thought. When he tried to shake of the thing again it didn't work, so he rolled over onto his back to try get it off. Big mistake. Don't try it again.

The thing took out its sword and stuck it right into Oki's back. He cried out and went limp on top of the thing. It crawled out from under him and looked at Oki for a moment and grinned evilly. It pulled out it's sword from Oki and licked the blood of it, its eyes sparkled and it made lots of happy noises. It looked over to its fallen partner, and without any feeling of grief, ran off into the blizzard again.

((ah I fail, I tried to make the things really gremlin-like, and stronger-than-they-look andddd I failed D:

Anyway... I kind of like the rest, but I'll keep going, completing a fanfic or even a story of novel length is on my things to do before I die mental list :P OH sorry if it looks... not very well spaced out? IDK DX))


	2. Chapter 2

((Holy cheese I hated the last chapter so MUCH! Can you tell I rushed? I'll try harder, promise))

Amaterasu and Gekigami where now trying to figure out how they could get down from so high in the skies down to the land below. The ark of Yamato had been burnt by Moegami, so they couldn't use it. They had both seen it burning away into nothing but ashes.

Amaterasu sighed.

"It's useless; it's going to take ages to get down, if we do at all." Amaterasu sat down heavily with her ears drooping, her dark eyes where sad.

"We will get down somehow..." Gekigami was thinking about the ark himself. He sighed and sat down next to Amaterasu, who was deep in thought.

Gekigami gave up thinking and lay down, his big heavy paws hanging over the edge of the plains, looking down clouds where moving slowly across the skies below.

At that moment Amaterasu stood up with such speed Gekigami flinched away from her.

"I've got an idea!" Amaterasu turned to Gekigami. "How about we get Moegami to fly us down?" The thunder god sat up again, his ears forwards.

"But you said you weren't going to let any other of us come down?" Out of all of the gods, Amaterasu was most respected. She was like their leader, if she said something, the others would do it.

"I'm not your leader, you are..." Amaterasu thought hard for a moment, looking at her paws.

"...your own leader. Yes, Now then." Amaterasu turned to go back to where the gods where, by now they had all split up and only Tachigami was there by himself on the rock where the Hanagami had been earlier when the gods had gathered together. His Tachi* was leaning on the rock below him. As Amaterasu and Gekigami approached he turned round.

"Oh you have not gone yet?" Tachigami jumped of the rock showing no fear- the two other gods where so much bigger than him.

"No, we can't get down." Gekigami explained. "We need Moegami to get us down..." Gekigami's voice melted away as Moegami flew towards them and landed in front of them, his great wings buffeting them with strangely warm air. Moegami was the second-biggest of the gods, only Yomigami (the dragon) was bigger. Poor Tachigami was tiny in comparison.

"I knew you would need me." Moegami closed his wings and smiled.

A few minutes later, Amaterasu and Gekigami where on Moegami's back and looking out over the edge of the plains. Moegami flapped his wings.

"Gekigami lose some weight!" Moegami chuckled. The thunder god growled slightly. Amaterasu's face stayed emotionless.

"So then are you ready? Dont try to throw up on me ok?" Moegami turned away from his passengers. Gekigami looked at Amaterasu with a worried look in his eyes. Amaterasu shrugged.

Just as Amaterasu stopped, the fire god launched off the edge of the plains, beating his great phoenix wings. Amaterasu felt slightly worried at the flames on his tail and wing feathers, but held her nerves. Suddenly her stomach flipped over as they started falling at speed down and down, off the plains, barely missing passing clouds. Gekigami held his breath. Amaterasu felt a bit sick.

"All right back there..." Moegami's voice was carried away on the wind. Suddenly he pulled up straight again. Amaterasu sighed with relief, looking over Moegami's side; she saw the land below passing underneath them. The trees looked like mere twigs, and people like ants. It was still green where they were, and flowers where blooming all over the place in a rainbow of different colours.

"It's even more beautiful from the sky" Amaterasu gasped at the beautiful land below them. Gekigami smiled as good as a tiger can. It was beautiful, the sun was bright and warm, the grass was a deep green, and where the light caught it, it went a green-yellow. There where houses with some smoke coming from their chimneys in grey streams of fluff. Rivers cut the green lands with soft and dark shimmering blues, their waves licking the shore. Animals from the smallest rabbit to the biggest bear roamed freely enjoying the wonderful environment, and at the same time, fighting for survival. Cherry blossoms made patches of whitey-pink around trees, the wind whipping them into the sky and they then fell like snow.

"Wow" Gekigami finally spoke up.

"I feel proud to be a god of this world. Hm?" Amaterasu nodded in agreement. She looked over at the sun and her heart swelled with pride too. Moegami slowed a little.

"It is stunning... but we have a long way to go, the north is pretty far of, we won't make it in a day..." Moegami cocked his head to the side a bit. "Amaterasu, you know any good places to stop off? Amaterasu thought hard. She would have said Kamiki Village, but they had passed that.

"How about... Sei-an?" Moegami knew where that was. "In that case... Sei-an it is" Moegami turned his attention back to flying; he beat his wings a few times to gain height, as the ground sloped upwards.

They passed lots of other places, when Amaterasu spotted Sei-an up ahead.

"There there!" Moegami nodded and gradually went lower and lower, until he landed with a thud on the grass near Sei-and, but a good length away.

"Won't they think that having a huge great phoenix, a tiger, and a wolf in their city a bit... strange?"

Amaterasu thought about it for a little. "They were Ok with me, after all they have seen a few weird things in their life..." Amaterasu had never thought about it before.

"I'll stay here, you two go. I'm far too large... Don't worry I'll be here in the morning for you." Amaterasu felt a bit saddened, but even she had to agree. "Be careful" Amaterasu gave him a wave with her tail. "You don't know who is out here." Gekigami said his farewells, and the wolf and the tiger, two which should have been enemies, thunder and sun, went into the city.

Oki woke up suddenly. His head ached badly and he couldn't feel his legs at all. He gave a small groan and shifted around a bit, but it just sent pain right though him. He winced and lay back down again.

"Oki shut it and don't move." Oki looked over his shoulder. His eyes where fuzzy but he could make out a wolf standing there. Oki recognised her as Hikari, one of the rescued wolves. She didn't have the nicest temper in the world, and she was pretty tough. When she was young, a mountain goat had attacked her in defence of her young. Hikari didn't just get a nasty bruise, but she fell headfirst down a mountain, and survived with only a few cuts.

She swore to herself and walked towards Oki. "I thought you're meant to be a warrior not a timid little puppy." Oki growled slightly at her words.

"Anyway, those creatures got you-"

"Don't think I don't know."

"You did get a pretty bad bash on the head then"

Oki sighed a little. Hikari just laughed. Oki rolled over of his side onto his front and pushed himself up from there. He shakily got to his feet with Hikari grinning at him.

"I knew you would get up once id given you the Hikari treatment." She gave a knowing look and tilted her head slightly to one side. Oki couldn't help smiling back at her.

((*Tachi – Large sword.

Anyway, i hope you liked it a bit more than chapter one .3. I don't like it personally, but I enjoyed writing the flying part, in fact all of it. Now my shoulder hurts from the typing O.O;'

Two chapters in two days. Record. *ka-ching*))


	3. Chapter 3

((well, not much to say, reviews are much appreciated! :3

Ah listening to x-ray dog while writing... X'D Um I'm not sure they had hotels in ancient Japan. Oh well, fantasies are epic))

So, the two gods, side by side, walked into the city like as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Immediately the noises of the city stopped, and people looked up from what they were doing to gawp at the tiger and wolf that where strolling into Sei-an. They had no fear as they all recognised Amaterasu, and she hoped Issun had told people about the other brush gods too.

Issun. She missed him so much.

When they had parted it was like somebody had ripped open a hole in the goddess's heart. Amaterasu dropped her head slightly, Gekigami noticed.

"What's wrong Amaterasu?"

Somebody in the crowd of people that where gathering nearby fainted. Nobody really noticed.

"I was just... thinking about an old friend of mine" Amaterasu looked up at Gekigami and then looked away. His golden eyes were so full of emotion, it was unbearable.

"I had a friend I had to leave once. Most beautiful tiger I have ever met..." Gekigami made a noise which sounded kind of like a whimper, but with a hint of anger. "But you know what they say about gods and mortals." The thunder god growled, his teeth showing.

Amaterasu looked to the right of her where the path branched off to one side.

"Now that were here... I'm not really sure what to do." Gekigami sounded uncomfortable.

"I heard about a hotel... I'm sure they won't mind taking in gods!" Amaterasu suggested. Gekigami was doubtful, but he agreed anyway, and they set of for the hotel.

The people there were dumbfounded. The receptionist was a bit scared, but noticed they where gods and immediately allowed them to stay for free. Gekigami felt ashamed.

"We aren't meant to frighten are we...?" Gekigami spoke quietly. "I mean, we are gods. They shouldn't be scared..." Amaterasu looked up into those eyes again and held them this time.

"They are like that... but I agree they shouldn't be scared of us."

They reached their room quickly and immediately went to sleep, but on the floor for Gekigami.

"Don't want to break the bed do we?" He had said. And anyway, they weren't exactly going to sleep together, that would be a bit creepy...

The night passed quickly (Gekigami snored so loudly the other people didn't exactly have the nicest stay) and soon the sun came up and lit up the room with a warm orange glow though the window. It didn't have glass on it though, it was just a hole.

When the two gods came out of the room, the receptionist that had been so scared earlier came up to them confidently and said warmly to them "Thank you for staying here, you are a blessing on our business!" He bowed to them. Gekigami waited for him to straighten up before he spoke.

"It's nothing. And... please don't be so afraid of us. We won't eat you or anything. You're meant to see gods as..." He paused. "Friends, acquaintances. Not something to be scared of." The receptionist bowed again.

"Mother Amaterasu..." He turned to her. "You have heard of the demons in the north?"

Amaterasu nodded.

"Please help us. My children are frightened and have terrible nightmares, the whole city waits for them to come..." Amaterasu sighed.

"I promise ill help you." The receptionist kept a straight face, but his eyes twinkled with hope for a moment.

With that the two gods left to go find Moegami. The crowds of people came back again, but this time they cheered and threw cherry blossoms on their path. Even the youngest of children threw handfuls.

The city was covered in a beautiful soft pink, and the blossoms started swirling up in the wind. The two gods smiled at the people, the hope that the two gods had given the people of the city made them feel good to be gods as before when they had seen the world from the skies with Moegami. Amaterasu breathed in the sweet smell of flowers, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. Gekigami started purring like a little kitten, his whiskers twitching in the wind. His tail swished from side to side happily.

As they left the city the people came onto the path behind them and cheered loudly. Somebody said "three cheers for the gods!" soon the air was filled with their voices saying "hip hip hurray!" Amaterasu laughed slightly, and Gekigami smiled, enjoying the attention.

They left the city behind, the cheers still ringing in their ears. The noise faded away, and soon they were alone again, grass under their paws instead of stone and blossom.

Moegami found them, instead of the other way round. He landed in front of them on the grass and turned so they could climb onto his back again. Silently, without any words, they both climbed on and the fire god raised his wings with a loud call that made heads turn, he took off again into the sky, flames licking at his feathers.

"Ugh, Moegami stop that, smoke is going in my face!" Gekigami complained as the smoke from Moegami's pipe flew towards him. Amaterasu was napping like she always does, but woke up as the smell made her nostrils tingle. Opening one dark eye slowly, she saw instead of grass, snow was in thick layers on the ground. The sky was still blue, but she sat up with a yawn and ahead saw grey clouds ahead.

"We are nearly here!" She recognised the mountains she saw in the distance.

After a few more minutes of flight, the sun god told Moegami to land, and he slowly lowered. He landed with a gentle bump, and the snow around him melted away.

"Come on Gekigami." The tiger and the wolf leaped of Moegami's back into the soft crunchy snow. A chill went through their bodies as they leaped of the warm back and into the cold wilderness.

"Moegami, you will be Ok going back?" Amaterasu asked him, turning around in the snow.

"Yes, I'll go back to the outskirts of Sei-an ,and I'll be back on the plains in a day or so." Moegami shook the snow which had begun to fall off his feathers.

"Thank you" Amaterasu gave him a gentle lick just above his beak. He smiled and quietly said "no problem"

With another flap of his phoenix wings, he took off, bursting into flames that left a trail of smoke in the sky. He called again and in a few seconds, he was out of sight.

Gekigami looked towards Amaterasu. "Lead the way" Amaterasu's eyes sparkled, and she set off north.

Hikari and Oki set of back to the tribe. Oki learned a lot about Hikari on the way. As a child when she still had control over her human form, she had learned how to use a sword like Oki had. When she was 9 her parents had died after they had been attacked by Namhage. It was at a time where, further south, a strange illness had been spreading among the monsters making them more violent and dangerous. Her poor parents were unarmed and didn't have enough time to attack.

She had been separated from her old tribe and been adopted by a strange short man called Erufu. He had looked after her, until he went missing when he went hunting and never returned. Hikari had run away from the place she had stayed with Erufu, and then joined up with the wolves Samickle had rescued. Oki told her about his life, how his mum had died when giving birth and then his dad was killed protecting Oki. He told her about Amaterasu and when he had fought Nechku and Lechku with her. Hikari had a look in her eyes for a moment that was almost admiration, or respect, but it flickered away quickly.

Hikari didn't really have such a bad temper after all; she had just been through so much that she found it hard to control her anger sometimes.

They soon arrived at Kamui. It was very quiet as normal; the only sound was a owl hooting in the trees nearby. Oki saw Kai and Lika together. They were talking and Lika was showing her big sister something she had found in the forest.

"It glowed I tell you sis!" Lika spoke quite loudly. Kai shook her head and looked at what Lika had got.

Not long after Amaterasu had left, Lika had 'found' her wolf form. She has the same cat-like limbs as her sister, and her fur was a grass green. Her eyes where bright yellow, and round her neck like a lot of Oinas, she had a necklace. She was still young and was still the smallest Oina, and her curiosity always got her into lots of situations.

Kai shook her head again. "It's just a ordinary rock, a pretty one at that..." Lika sighed. "You don't believe me do you?" She groaned loudly and picked up the rock in her teeth. She ran of past her sister, who looked almost worried. Kai turned round and saw Oki and ran over quickly to him when he saw his wounds.

"Oki what happened?"

"I'm fine." Oki said quietly. Hikari walked off then, no goodbyes or anything.

"But really, Samickle was worried." If there was one thing that annoyed Oki it was how Samickle always treated him like a kid. Samickle had always had the most respect and trust in Oki, but sometimes he acted like an overprotective dad.

"Tell him I'm fine." Oki sighed a little then and said goodbye to Kai.

Kai sighed then. Why did Oki always have to be so blunt? It annoyed Kai so much. When they where little kids Oki was much nicer to her, but now he was always so quiet and emotionless. Kai knew there was a nice guy underneath Oki, but it just didn't want to come out.

Kai's ears drooped and she turned away, her tail hanging almost between her legs. She hated her life so much at the moment. The new wolves looked at her funny and treated her strange, like Hikari had walked of when she had come over to Oki. They whispered things too. They weren't even part of the tribe before stupid Samickle decided to interfere! She hated him too. She hated everyone.

She never showed it though, she was always too soft with people, never fighting or arguing.

"Im so weak" Kai thought. This wasn't like her. "Oh gods..." She walked of feeling angry and sad at the same time, hating everything.

((Omai, kai is being moody D:

Uhm so i kind of like this. Idk. :/ ohwellsies.))


	4. Chapter 4

((ohyus chapter 4

Ugh I regret making the Oina tribe all wolves now . I'm so bad at writing about the Oina tribe. So damn hard.

Anyway, back to Kai. And then Ammy and Gekigami (who I am now in love with JK) anyway... try to enjoy it))

An angry and upset Kai heavily plodded back to her hut. Lika had gone off with one of the new guys called Kōri, who was about her age (10 years old by now) so she was on her own. Holding down her head and muttering curses angrily to herself, she suddenly bumped into something.

Oki.

Damnit.

"Oh Kai. Hi again... sorry I was a bit... you know. Earlier." Wow. He 'aint as dumb as I thought.

"Yeah right" Kai went past Oki and kept walking.

"What?" Oki sounded confused almost. Kai groaned.

"Just leave me alone, I hate this damn tribe so much." Kai walked a few paces more and looked over her shoulder. Oki looked bewildered, and a bit upset.

"It's all because of _that_ lot" Oki came over too Kai, and flicked his tail in the direction of some of the rescued wolves.

"Hm. I agree with you." Kai sighed and sat down.

"I guess I'm sorry too." Replaying what she had said back through her head made her realise how stupid she had sounded. Oki looked across at the group again, who where now wandering away from the tribe base and out into the wilderness.

"They are so suspicious... apart from Hikari; even she is a bit wary of the others." The group huddled together again and whispered to each other, and then they split up in different directions.

"I'm going to follow them..." He glanced across at Kai, who was still half in her thoughts.

"Oh yeah, sure I will, definitely."

The pair trotted over to where they had split up, and followed the trail through the snow where two wolves had gone together. The path started to slope upwards and the terrain started to get more rocky and winding. Kai who was behind Oki started to think that this was pointless, until they reached a cut in the side of what was actually a small rocky hill near Ezofuji . No wonder it had got so rocky all of a sudden.

Up to the left the two volcanoes of Ezofuji rose up into the grey skies, down below them was Laochi Lake, which was frozen solid with a thin layer of snow over it. The Ark of Yamato was long gone now. The gate to Wawaku shrine was just visible there as well. It turned out they had been going just outside Laochi lake behind the icy wall there, and it had led up the rocky hill.

Suddenly a voice broke the eerie silence of the north; even the wind was quiet for a moment... The wolves that had come up here where here all right... it was just that one was human! One of them was holding their hands to the sky and chanting in a loud voice in some strange language.

Behind her though, was Lika! She was terrified, her green eyes big and she was cowering in the snow. From her leg blood was flowing onto the snow and making it melt. Kai ran over to her sister immediately and Oki ran up behind the other 'wolf'.

"What are you doing and what have you done to Lika?" But she just kept on chanting into the wind. Suddenly an orange light appeared in the sky. It glowed so strongly, Oki had to look away. Kai pulled her sister behind a large rock and held her there speaking comfortingly to her and looking at her wound.

The light suddenly started swirling around and around into a spiral shape, then it glowed white and shot down from the sky as an orange streak of light into the hands of the rescued 'wolf'.

It fizzed and crackled like fire and then faded away into nothing in a instant. The woman suddenly fell to her knees, muttering something to herself, holding her hands close to herself. Then she slowly changed into her wolf form again.

A once again confused Oki had had enough. He ran up to her and pinned her down to the ground. She had a mask of what looked like a cat, and had a necklace made of slightly see-through blue beads. She growled loudly even though Oki was at least twice as big as her.

"What where you doing with Lika?" He growled. Oki remembered her name was Yasei, and she was one of the most respected wolves among the rescued group.

"You mean her? Let me stand up and I will tell you..." Oki reluctantly let go of Yasei, who shook herself and sat up quickly.

"I was doing the sacrifice of blood" she said as if it where the most normal thing in the world.

"What?"

"You don't know?" Yasei narrowed her eyebrows. Behind the rock still Kai kept Lika away from Yasei, but she listened closely.

"Well, the god told us that we should and then we will get our path to the heavens. For all my life I must sacrifice the blood of a young one to him and then my family shall be free"

"Which god?"

"What are you talking about? The one god Shūryō of course."

"Shūryō?"

"Yes, if we do his bidding then we shall survive Jigoku's tests of nature and live happy lives!"

"You obviously aren't true Oinas then... your god is nonsense." Oki growled. He turned away and walked over to Kai and Lika.

"Were going, I'm not listening to this gibberish... come on" Yasei looked deeply offended. She held her tail high and blocked the path down the rocks.

"Those who disrespect Shūryō will pay their lives."

"How did I disrespect?"

"You said that they are nonsense!" She raised her eyes to the sky.

"You are the servant of Jigoku! Shūryō will destroy you, I'm warning you" Yasei snarled and moved out of their way. She glared at Kai who held her gaze before Oki growled quietly at her, and she left with him with a terrified Lika in front of her.

Oki, Kai and Lika went back to Wep'keer as quickly as they could. Snow was beginning to come down, and it was getting thicker by the moment. Kai walked up beside Oki who had been in front for most of the time.

"Oki, what if... Shūryō and Jigoku are real? What if they are going to...?" Kai lowered her voice.

"Kill you?"

"Its nonsense I already said that!" Oki snapped. Kai snorted and went back behind Lika. A sudden gust of wind made the snow fly straight into their faces. Oki swore loudly and Kai hoped Lika wouldn't learn any bad language from Oki.

Everything went slowly for some time, like time itself was slowing down, until finally they got around Laochi and they were back in Wep'keer.

"Thank the gods were back." Oki sounded relieved. Kai and Lika went off to their hut to warm up while Oki went in search of Hikari to see if she knew anything.

Hikari had just finished building her hut today luckily. It would have been quicker and a better job if she had control over her human form. She was the only one of the rescued wolves who had built their hut in Wep'keer, the others had gone elsewhere in Kamui, but they were always very close to Wep'keer, and when they were outside they stayed within there too.

Oki quickly ran to her hut and just as he was about to knock the door was opened.

"Oh hi Oki. I know what you're going to ask and its fine..."

"About that sacrifice of blood thing..." Oki said.

"Knew it. Come on" Hikari walked into her house and Oki went in behind her.

Like all of the other huts it was a small, cosy little place. She hadn't lit a fire yet (it was pretty hard for the Oinas now) but there was a pile of wood in the corner. On her wall she had a big painting of two Oinas as humans and one was holding a baby. Down the left side where a few words Oki couldn't make out, and he guessed they were in the same language that Yasei was speaking in earlier.

"So I'm guessing you want to know..." She thought for a while "Everything?"

"Um..."

"Good. Okay. Right." Hikari cleared her throat.

"I'm not sure exactly how it started, this whole... Shūryō and Jigoku thing. But I know it started not long before I joined the rescued group. Apparently one day Yasei found a..." She sounded almost ironic now "Strange glowing speaking stone" She paused. "There were two but the other went missing. It told her about the god Shūryō and the demon Jigoku. The stone told her that for the rest of her lifetime she must sacrifice a handful of a young girl's blood every five suns, else Shūryō will not protect them. Yasei feared for her and her tribe's life, so she listened to the stone and everything it said. It told them that Jigoku made the new demons, and every time she sacrificed, it would praise her. It also told her to tell some other wolves to go pray around her so that it will be properly sacrificed or something..." Hikari sighed. "That's all I know." Oki thought what she had said over. "Why could she become human when she was 'sacrificing'?"

"Oh apparently Jigoku makes us stuck as wolves and Shūryō's power makes them human when they sacrifice or pray. The blood is meant to strengthen Shūryō until he is strong enough to defeat Jigoku... oh and if it helps, Jigoku's presence is a strange red-orange light, Shūryō's presence is a orange glow. And I honestly don't know any more."

Oki nodded.

"But... what do Shūryō and Jigoku look like?"

"I don't know! I told you I don't know anymore OK?" Hikari growled. Oki didn't really react to that, and just said goodbye to her and left.

The stone Lika had...

One was missing?

Oki gasped and ran off through the snow to Kai and Lika's hut as fast as he could in the deep snow... he knew he was going the right way, but he somehow couldn't find their hut, and before he could think about where he was he was by Laochi lake again.

"Huh?" He looked around and he could see hardly anything but snow swirling around him. Taking a few steps forward the snow suddenly collapsed beneath him. Suddenly freezing cold went right through him and he felt water lapping at his sides. He had fallen into the lake? But it had seemed so far away, and the ice was far too thick to break. He kicked and thrashed about trying to pull himself away from the icy water, but it was no use, it seemed like he was being dragged down by something. His legs where going numb and it was getting colder by the second, and he could see almost nothing at all, and all he could hear was the wind bellowing furiously in his ears.

Suddenly he saw a shape in front of him. It was a wolf all right, but it had a very grim look on its face.

"Yasei help me!" He shouted. He didn't know if she heard him, but she simply walked away into the blizzard. For a second he heard a voice saying _I told you he would get you! _Then it disappeared.

Oki was exhausted and the numbness was spreading through him. If he wasn't going to drown he was going to get hyperthermia and die, and gods know what's walking about in this blizzard.

_So this is how it ends then? _

Oki sighed and tried once more to pull himself free from the water, but the water was weighing him down and he was so weak and tired. He could hardly see and feel anything anymore. The wind whipped the snow into the air around him and he felt then that everything was over...

Amaterasu and Gekigami had made their way through most of Kamui unharmed. The icy and strong winds had forced any monsters to shelter wherever they could or risk dying. Gekigami was fine in the snow, with his wide paws and long, strong legs he pushed through the snow easily. Sometimes he had to help Amaterasu along a bit when the snow got too deep for her to move any more.

Amaterasu was thinking about what Issun had said last time about the blizzards then being ridiculously bad, even though they were in the extreme north. If they had been ridiculous, this was _extremely _ridiculous. Amaterasu wondered how on earth the Oina tribe were surviving- if they were.

Gekigami suddenly stopped, Amaterasu nearly bumped into his leg it was so sudden.

"Gekigami?" Amaterasu shouted. The tiger grunted loudly. Amaterasu went to his side and followed his gaze to where he was looking. She had to squint as the wind was hurting her eyes, but among the blizzard she made out a shape slowly coming towards them.

"Kai!"

Amaterasu half-ran half-jumped across to her. She looked absolutely freezing, and her eyes were big and frightened.

"Amaterasu? You can..."

"Yes I can."

Kai lowered her head slightly. "I came out to look for Oki, I don't know where he has gone..." Kai looked past Amaterasu at Gekigami, who was plodding towards them.

"He is Gekigami, the Thunder god." Amaterasu explained. Kai looked back to Amaterasu.

"Wep'keer isn't that far away. Come on..." Kai turned around and Amaterasu and Gekigami followed her without a word. The snow was getting thicker to Amaterasu, if it wasn't already thick enough. At one point poor Kai had to be dug out of the snow by Gekigami, it was so deep.

After a lot of walking, the trio soon reached Wep'keer and before they could say or think, they were in Kai's house around a nice warm fire.

Kai told them everything that had happened to the tribe from when the wolves had been rescued onwards. She told them about the strange blood sacrifice they did and their gods, and everything else she knew, as quickly as she could. Amaterasu listened with few questions- Kai couldn't answer them anyway.

Gekigami felt awkward and a bit alone, so he kept quiet and thought over what he would do with himself.

Once Kai had finished speaking Amaterasu was very quiet, then her ears pricked forwards as she thought of something.

"Kai you said you were looking for Oki?"

"Yes... oh-" Kai shook her head angrily.

"Come on then!" She ran around the fire out of the door, Kai followed her, and Gekigami came last.

The three went to his house, and he wasn't their yet so they decided to look where Kai hadn't gone yet, Laochi lake.

They carefully made their way there, and started looking, even though it was next to impossible, when they heard Gekigami's roar in the wind. Kai and Amaterasu were looking further to the left while Gekigami had gone right.

The two ran across the deep snow to Gekigami, where they saw Oki at his paws. Amaterasu and Kai ran faster towards Gekigami until they were all there.

Amaterasu honestly thought Oki was dead, but he gave a loud cough which reassured her.

"He was in the lake, I honestly don't know how..." Gekigami looked at the ice around where Oki had 'fallen' in. It was so thick; Oki couldn't have possibly just slipped in.

"We need to get him back to the tribe..." Kai's voice shook a little. Amaterasu just nodded. A strange lump had formed in her throat, and she had a strange feeling in her body then...

Gekigami picked up Oki as gently as he could in his teeth.

"Ack don't treat m-me like a l-ittle kid. I'm still c-c-conscious you kno-w."

Amaterasu winced a little for some reason.

"Come on, we need to get back as quickly as possible... he's already got hypothermia." They all quickly ran back in what seemed like a second, and they where back inside Kai's hut in moments.

A worried Kai quickly lit the fire again, which had died down since they had left. That showed just how cold it was, even inside. Amaterasu was very quiet, and Gekigami still felt out of place.

"Oh I'm being rude aren't I?" Amaterasu walked over to Kai who was taking her old human coat off a hook on the door.

"It's fine!" Kai picked it up and ran over to Oki and dried his fur as best she could.

"There must be something I can do?"

Kai stopped and turned to Amaterasu. "Trust me, don't worry~" She gave her a real smile, and started running around again. She went over to Oki and whispered something to him.

"Oi!" Oki said out loud. Kai giggled.

"Hikari told me that saying something like that would perk you up a bit. I think she knew you would get into trouble." Kai grinned.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, which made Gekigami jump a bit as he was in his own little world at that moment.

"I'll get it!" Kai ran across to the door and opened it with her paw.

"Oh hi Samickle!"

"We... I mean, I need you to come with me for a moment, Oki too... and Lika, in fact all of the 'original' Oinas." Samickle had a guilty look in his eyes. Kai narrowed hers.

"Oki needs to stay here though..." Kai answered. Samickle looked over Kai's shoulder at Oki.

"That's fine. Come on then Kai..." Samickle turned to leave. Kai glanced at Amaterasu before she turned as well to follow the chief.

Gekigami shook his head and pushed the door shut behind them, but he glanced outside before he did so.

"Teyger! What a cewt teyger! Teehehe!" One of the rescued wolves was outside and looking with fascination at the big cat. She was only a little cub, with big, blue eyes. Gekigami gave a low grumble which was a sort-of purr, and turned to Amaterasu. She gave him a nod, and he went out of the door as well to entertain the cub.

Amaterasu sighed through her nose as the door clicked shut behind the thunder god. She walked across to Oki, who had suddenly drifted off to sleep. He was snoring quietly, which Amaterasu thought kind of cute.

She gave him a tiny nuzzle on his neck, careful not to wake him up. He was still really cold, which alarmed her a bit. She pulled Kai's coat up to his ears and sat down next to him, watching the flames of the fire moving and casting shadows on the walls.

((A pretty long chapter O.O; didn't take too long though, strangely enough X'D

If I've left any loose ends untied, please tell me, apart from Samickle calling them for a meeting. All will be explained :D

**Review please! They are a great motivation! **And please crit' as well! I want to know how I can improve!

(in word)

Pages- 6

Text size- 11

Words- 3,217))


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